Sinister's Creed
by simonxriley
Summary: Ghost and Roach getting stranded on the sight of a back road in the middle of nowhere, was only the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: From now until near the end of October I decided to do a small horror AU multi-chapter fic. This was also suppose to be one big one-shot but decided against it, which is why you're getting two chapters today. I hope you enjoy!**

Things haven't been the easiest for one Sergeant and Lieutenant of Task Force 141. Being betrayed by one of your superiors wasn't something you get over. Getting shot point blank, then being dosed by gasoline and set a light were what nightmares are made of. It was a good thing Shadow Company didn't stick around to see if they finished the job.

Simon was still conscience enough to help save them both. In the end both Simon and Gary survived, but were riddled with a lot of third degree burns throughout their body. It was weeks before they were both out of the infirmary, making Simon hate not going with Soap and Price to kill that traitorous bastard.

By the time Simon and Gary were discharged from the infirmary, Soap and Price had already killed Shepherd. After that they all decided to take leave. Price went back to Hereford, Soap went back to Scotland to visit family and then was going to spend the rest of his leave with Price. Gary decided that he needed to do something to clear his mind, which mean't for him going on a cross country car trip. Starting in California to his hometown of Stratton, Maine.

He asked if Simon wanted to go with him, saying he would love the company. Since Simon had no family left and most of his friends gone, he obliged and went with him. The little vacation was exactly what they both needed, it was also a plus that Simon had never been to the states, so Gary stopped at all the cliche tourist attractions just to show him. For the most part Gary stopped at all the national parks, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sedona Red Rock country, The Grand Canyon, and Carlsbad caverns.

The one place Gary really wanted to take Simon was Disneyland. No matter how much begging and pleading Gary did, Simon would always say no. He dropped the subject once they drove through Florida. To Simon's own dismay, he was having a good time. Seeing new places and not having to worry about a future op for the time being made him feel at ease. And he had a cute blonde sergeant with him too.

Though his feelings for the vacation changed once Gary got them lost in the middle of a back-road in Massachusetts. It's the middle of fall, the leaves were all colored orange, red, and brown. Making for beautiful scenery. Massachusetts was known for having the best foliage during fall and Gary wanted to take it slow going through Mass.

Everything was fine in the beginning, they were on I-95 headed through Mass, then Gary thought it would be a good idea to detour to look at more scenery. The sun was still high in the sky so Simon obliged. A few dozen side roads later they both find themselves on the side of the road, with no gas and no signal. And to make things worse, a forest was surrounding them and it didn't look like anything was close by.

The sun was already gone and temp was going down too. Gary was trying to get a signal on his phone and was walking around outside with his arm raised towards the sky. Simon stayed in the car to look through the glove box to see if he had a map. All he found was the cars manual and a few napkins. He sighed and closed it. A few minutes later Gary got back in the care shivering.

"No luck. Did you find anything?"

"No, cause some numpty didn't bring a map. Or get a gps."

"Well I'm sorry, I didn't think we need one."

Simon crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "We go on a cross country road trip and you don't think it's wise to buy a bloody gps? You know, just encase we get lost. Like now."

"Okay I know this is my fault. Let's just try and fix the situation and get on the highway."

"Okay. First we need to get gas or we'll freeze out here...and no! I'll get the gas. With my luck you'll get lost and I'll be out here all night."

Gary scoffed and shook his head. "Fine. Good thing we past a gas station a few miles back. I'll man the car."

"Good. Pop the trunk."

Gary pressed the button so the trunk would pop open, then they both got out of the car. The cold wind and night air made them both shiver. It was a good thing their coats were in the backseat. Simon walked to the trunk and opened it. He let out an annoyed sigh, closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

When Gary got to the back of the care with both of their coats in his hands he saw Simon with his hands on his hips, eyes closed and head looking up at the sky. He arched his brow and walked over to him.

"Uh, you okay?"

He opened his eyes to look over at Gary. "You don't have a jerry can?"

"Yes I do."

Gary threw their coats at Simon to look in the trunk. It was filled with most of his stuff from base that he wanted to bring home. He fumbled through the mess to see if he could find it. But couldn't. He groaned and sat on the bumper.

"It has to be here Simon, I swear I got one when we got the car."

"Here. Put your coat on before you catch a bloody cold. I'll check the backseat."

Simon tossed Gary his gray coat and put his black one on. Then he walked to the side of the car to look in the backseat. The backseat was looted with trash and empty bottles, and most of Simon's belongings. And still no jerry can.

"Not back here either." He shut the door and walked back over to Gary. "It's fine. The gas station will have one I can borrow anyways. I shouldn't be more than an hour, stay with the car please. And put the hazard lights on so the car doesn't get hit."

"Yes Lieutenant."

Simon chuckled and shook his head. "Cheeky bastard."

"Be careful."

"Yes mum."

Gary shook his head and shut the trunk. He sat back down on the bumper and watched Simon fade into the darkness. Once he was out of sight Gary put on his coat and got back in the car. He turned the hazard lights on like Simon said, it was a good idea he didn't need the car to get hit before sun rise. The only issue is that he couldn't keep them on for long. Not wanting to drain the battery.

He sat in the drivers seat twiddling his thumbs. There wasn't much to do, it was dark, there were no lights anywhere near where he was. He reached around the seat to grab the small backpack he left in the back seat. Unzipping the front part to retrieve his flashlight.

He clicked it on, the light illuminating the car. Gary unzipped the bigger part to grab one of the books he brought with him. There wasn't anything else to do but wait, so why not do so by reading. He tossed the backpack back into the backseat and opened the book.

Gary could only read so much, his mind occupied on his friend. He tossed the book aside, shut off the flashlight and sighed. Sitting in a dark, cold car wasn't what Gary thought he'd be doing right now. He would prefer to be on the highway heading home. If only his love for autumn leaves didn't hinder that. All because of him, they got lost in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods and with no gas.

He was thanking his lucky stars that Simon had decided to join him. If it wasn't for him, he would be out here alone.

Since he couldn't concentrate on his book, he pulled the seat back a little and closed his eyes. Maybe a small nap could help.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yes I named the female character after myself. I'm a little lazy naming people right now. Btw some chapters might be shorter than others. Anyways I hope you enjoy!**

An hour later Simon finally made it to the gas station. It was farther back then both of them realized. But when it came into view Simon's fast paced walk turned into a light jog.

He heard the bell chime as he walked through the door. There was no one behind the counter, making him stand there in the door way awkwardly. He glanced around the small building, there wasn't much to it. A few racks of different variety's of snacks and in the back were where the drinks were.

A few seconds later a young women came from the back. She was wearing the typical polo shirt with the gas stations logo on it and her name tag. She gave him a small smile as she got to the counter.

"What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you had a jerry can I could buy? My friend got us lost a few miles back, and we ended up running out of gas."

"Your friend didn't stay on the highway did he? Took the back-roads?"

Simon raised a brow. He was intrigued on how she knew about that. "Yes ma'am. Wanting to see the foliage, then he got us lost."

"Please don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel older than I am. Name's Megan. You guys are most likely stuck by the Devil's Den. Those roads are like a maze, I have lived here my whole life and I still get lost in them from time to time. I'll go get that jerry can for you."

"Thanks Megan."

She left for the back room after that. He leaned against the counter and waited for her to return. She looked a little young to him to be working alone, and this late. Anything could happen. He didn't know why he was caring so much about a girl he just met, then again he also witness his former friend try to rape a girl. Luckily he intervened and the girl was alright.

A few minutes later she return, jerry can in hand. She set it on the counter next to Simon.

"Here you go."

"You're a life saver. So are you here alone?"

Megan chuckled and fixed her top knot. A few strands of her dark brown hair were hanging down from it. "No I'm not. Craig's in the back, he's the mechanic."

"Oh, okay. Just wondering. I didn't like the thought of a young women being out here, alone, during the night."

"Your sweet! Not many people come through here during the night. We're opened 24 hours in the middle of nowhere. I guess that's a good thing, for people such as yourself."

Simon nodded. There was something about her that made him attracted to her, but yet it felt like something was off. It could be nothing, just paranoia from what happened with Shepherd.

"That's true. If you weren't open I'd be even more bloody screwed than I already am. What can you tell me about the Devil's Den?"

Megan leaned against the counter, her brown eyes gazing into his blue ones for a moment. "Back in the early 1800's a small family lived up in these mountain's. William, his wife Ruth and their 5 year old daughter Hattie. One morning Hattie followed her dad into the woods when he went hunting. She ended up losing sight of him and wondered deeper and deeper into the woods. Eventually coming to a cave. And like any curious 5 year old she went inside. The cave was like a maze, leading her farther and farther into it. William and Ruth became frantic when they realized she was gone, searching miles into the surrounding woods of their home. When they couldn't find her, the whole town went out to help. Well the men, the women stayed with Ruth. They finally found little Hattie, weeks later. By then she was already gone."

Simon was hanging on to every word she was saying. It was like he was in a trance, her voice was like a beautiful melody hitting his ears. She took a deep breath and continued.

"Ruth was heartbroken, losing her little girl like that. She wanted to bring her back, wanting her safe and home. There's an old legend that said one of the old witches that use to live around here knew a spell on how to bring the dead back to life. She searched far and wide for this witch, eventually coming to a cabin high in the mountains. The only way she could bring Hattie back was to bring her back to the place she died, put some of her blood along with a piece of Hattie's hair into a cup and say this phrase 3 time. Unfortunately I forgot what the phrase was Anyways, as the legend goes Hattie did come back, but not as herself. Apparently later that day she killed both her mother and father, leaving their home a blood splattered mess. They say she's still out there, luring people into that cave."

"Bloody hell. That's why it's called the Devil's Den?"

"Yes and there is a cave up in these mountain's that's to dangerous to go in. There's a warning sign before you go in, but still people don't listen and end up getting lost in it and eventually die."

"Typical yanks."

"Yup. So what brings you to Mass? I never got your name."

"Simon. And currently on leave, went on a cross country road trip with a mate. He lives in Maine."

"Military huh? I like that. And nice to meet you meet you Simon!"

"Nice to meet you too Megan." He gave her a smile, that she returned. "I should get going, I'm sure my mate is worried. How much do I owe you?"

Simon went to his back pocket to grab his wallet, but she stopped him.

"It's on the house."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

Simon nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Hopefully your night turns out better!"

"It already has!"

Megan smiled and shook her head. The doorbell chimed when he left, and Megan watching him go.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't know how I feel about this chapter. I don't think I got the suspense right, but I hope you enjoy!**

The wind howled through the trees, an owl hooting in the distance and a wolf back howling at the full moon above.

Gary's eyes snapped open when he felt like he was being watched. His heart raced, and a knot in the pit of his stomach was forming. He looked around him, eyes perfectly adjusted to the dark. Still, nothing. He settled back down, though his heart was still trying to come out of his chest, he closed his eyes again.

A twig snapping woke him from an already light sleep. He turned the hazard lights off to get a better look. A few long seconds later a buck came into view from behind one of the trees. He let out a nervous laugh and shook his head.

"Get it together Gary."

He looked over at the buck, watching it sniff the ground. He felt silly getting scared over a harmless animal. Gary covered his face with his hands and leaned his head back against the seat. He could hear the wind picking up from inside the care, which wasn't a good sign. It was already cold enough, with the wind chill it made it close to freezing.

Gary just wanted Simon to hurry up and get here with the gas so they could leave. His hands slid down his face revealing the endless darkness. He sighed and turned the hazard lights back on. The yellowish tint from the lights illuminated a few feet in front of him.

Something lingered in the shadows just beyond where the flashing lights ended. He squinted his eyes to get a better look, his eyes adjusting to see better. He gulped when whatever was standing in the shadows came into view. Only to let out a sigh of relief when another deer walked towards front of the car.

He hid his face in his hands once again. Cursing himself on how scared he was over another innocent animal.

"I'm a grown adult in the military and here I am getting scared over a deer. Thank god Simon isn't here or I wouldn't live this down."

Gary laughed at himself as he removed his hands from his face. The little relief he had soon dissipated when he looked back outside. His heart quickened, and his hands started to shake. He rubbed his eyes thinking it was a hallucination, when he moved his hands from his eyes...he was wrong.

Standing in front of his car was a little girl. She was wearing a pair of light-wash jeans, black boots, a pink plaid shirt and an olive green jacket. Her long wavy brown hair was under a knit hat. Gary slowly opened the door as to not startle her. He grabbed his phone to check the time. It was only 7 at night, so it wasn't unheard of to see a kid out this late.

But it was the middle of fall, when the sun goes down incredibly early. Hardly any kids were out now. He tossed his phone back into his seat and got out of the car. As soon as he did, she bolted into the woods.

"No, wait don't run."

He stood outside the car awkwardly for a few seconds. Not knowing if he should go after her or stay with the car. But he couldn't leave a little girl out in the wilderness alone. So he took a deep breath, and followed her.

She kept running deeper and deeper into the forest. Eventually Gary lost sight of her and his light run became a walk. The cold air burned his lungs, as he took deep breaths. He kept walking in the direction where he last saw her. Hoping to see her again.

The farther he went into the woods the more he kept seeing something move in his peripheral vision. Making his head whip to see what it was, and like always it was nothing. He stopped walking, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at the star filled sky.

"How the hell did a little girl outrun me? Oh Gary you're getting old."

He looked around to see if he could see any landmarks. Nothing. Gary hung his head and sighed. But when he propped his head up, he saw her near a tree. A huge sigh of relief left him when he saw her.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. Why are you out here all alone?"

He was hoping he would get an answer, alas he didn't and she ran deeper into the woods. Once again he started to go after her, this time running full sprint. The thought of a little girl out in the woods alone, during the night didn't sit right with him. No matter how much he wanted to go back to the car, he kept his pursuit.

A few yards later she came into view. Gary was gaining on her quickly, a few more feet and he could easily grabbed her arm. He reached his arm out, hoping to grab her. Then his shoe got stuck under a root, making him fall. It all happened so fast, then a sharp pain was felt on the back of his head.

Gary fell on his back, his vision going in and out of darkness. He looked up at the stars above him, his eyes slowly closing. Eventually he succumb to the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Simon was walking down the street, jerry can in hand. The cold wind ruffled his black hair and the leaves crunched under his feet. He just wanted to get to the car, fill it with gas and get going. Luckily for him, he could easily re-trace his steps. The only issue, is that it took him 45 minutes to get to the gas station.

He sighed and zipped up his jacket some more. It was just like any other autumn night to him. Cold and windy. Maybe he should've had Gary come with him and they could've stayed at the gas station until sunrise. That seemed a lot better than walking another 45 minutes just to get to the car.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the pitch black surroundings around him. The streets did have a few street lights, but they were a few and far between. The wind whistled through the almost bare trees as he continued to walk down the road. The sounds of wildlife echoing through the forest.

Alone with his thoughts, his mind began to wonder. Simon joined the British army after the 9/11 attacks, wanting to get away from his family for a while. He spent a few years in the service before going back home to Manchester. When he got back home he saw his mother on the couch crying and his younger brother Tommy nowhere in sight.

That's when he found out about his father cheating on his mother left and right and how Tommy was addicted to drugs. He vowed not to go back into the army until he helped his family. It took some time, he had to kick his father out of the house and help his brother get clean. Tommy's drug rehabilitation went exactly how Simon thought it would. Grueling.

In time Tommy got better and eventually got married and started a family. After that he went back to the service knowing he didn't have to worry about them too much. Then that dreadful day happened. All he wanted was revenge, he didn't care about anything else but revenge. He eventually got it and that's when he met Shepherd.

He never thought about the future while going after Roba, figuring he would die in the process of trying to kill him. But he did, and found himself back in the service. Task Force 141. A little weary at first, that came to pass, and he met two of the greatest friends he could ask for.

A strong wind blew through his body making him shiver. Luckily the car finally came into sight. His casual stroll turned into a light jog. Unfortunately he couldn't jog for long. After the Shepherd incident he had severe burns on his legs that ended up destroying some of the nerves. Thankfully there wasn't any need for amputations, but he did have to go through physical therapy. Now he just has heavy scarring across his torso and thighs. And some other scaring on his chest and face too, nothing to distracting for his liking.

As soon as he got to the car he noticed Gary wasn't in it. Not really thinking of it, considering he could just be going to the bathroom. He filled the car with the jerry can, looking around him to see if he could see his friend. He couldn't, then again Gary had one of those nervous bladders and couldn't take a piss with people near him. Simon chuckled at the though as he twisted the top back on the jerry can and then tossed it in the back seat.

Simon got into the passengers side, letting out a content sigh. Now he just needed to wait for Gary and then they could get going. He reclined his seat a little to get some rest. He was gone a little over two hours and that tired him out enough. There was a time in his life where he could tread miles wearing 50 pounds of gear, now he's lucky to walk a mile without stopping a bunch of times. He groaned as he leaned back in his seat.

Maybe Soap was right. Maybe he should just retire. He shook the thought from his head and closed his eyes. Listening to the wind blow the trees and an owl hooting in the distance. Moments later he drifted off into a deep sleep.

xXx

The sound of birds chirping woke him up from an almost dreamless sleep. He slowly opened his eyes to see that the sun had risen. He looked to his right to see the seat still empty. Then checked behind him to see if he decided to lay down in the back seat. But still no Gary. He rubbed his eyes with his hand and made his seat go back to it's original position.

A little worry started to settle in, wondering if Gary got lost in the forest or if he needed to go to the bathroom again. Simon looked around him since he could see his surroundings more clearly now. Everywhere he looked they were surrounded by dense woods. If he did indeed get lost it would take Simon hours, maybe even days to get to him. If he doesn't get lost himself.

He looked at his watched to check the time. It was 7 in the morning. He would give him a half an hour before heading back to the gas station to get help. It was the only plausible choice. Ask Megan for help or get lost in the forest himself. He chose the latter.

While he waited he went into his bag to pull out his colt .45. He was surprised he got it through customs. It was for emergency's only, but if he was going into the forest to find his hopefully not lost friend, he wanted to be prepared for anything. Simon checked to see if the magazine was full, it was. Then he checked to see if the safety was on before concealing it under his jacket.

The only thing left to do was wait.

As the minutes ticked by, the more worried he became. What if something happened to him while he was gone? He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to him.

"Oh fuck this." He mumbled to himself as he got out of the car.

Simon went over to the drivers side to grab the keys and lock the door. He placed the keys in his pocket, took a deep breath and high tailed it back to the gas station.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: A few things...1) I know I said this would be finished by Halloween, but I'm not so sure about that now. 2) I think I'm gonna up the chapter count by 3 maybe. And 3) How are you guys liking the story? This is my first time dabbling in the Horror aspect and I'm not sure how I'm doing with it so any feedback would be appreciated.**

 _Darkness_

That was all Gary saw when he abruptly woke up. He blinked his eyes a few times, getting them use to his dark surrounding.

A stinging sensation was felt once he started to move his head. He brought a hand up to the wound, gently touching it. A sticky, wet substance was felt on his finger tips. He knew what it was. Blood.

"What the hell happened?" He asked himself as he stood up. Brushing himself off afterwards.

The last thing he remember was running after a little girl in the middle of the woods, tripping over something, hitting his head and falling unconscious. Now he was...somewhere. He felt around him, trying to feel for something. Seconds later, his hand came in contact with something hard, rock like. He felt it further, feeling along the hard rock like wall.

"Am I in a fucking cave?" He looked around him in the darkness, like he was waiting for someone to answer him. "No one is going to answer you, you idiot. You're alone."

He chuckled to himself, then sighed. Gary looked through his pockets in hopes of finding his phone. Relief flooded him when he found it in one of his back pockets. He quickly turned it on. The light illuminating his surroundings, and making his face scrunch. He waited a brief minute, letting his eyes get use to the sudden brightness. Once he was, he looked around more. That's when he saw that he was indeed in a cave.

"How the hell did I get in a cave? I was no where near a cave! Oh great, Sasquatch saved me - probably to eat."

Gary walked a little ways, looking around for any signs of light or a breeze indicating a way out. Nothing. With no way of knowing which way leads out and which way leads deeper into the cave, Gary was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

That wasn't something they teach in the military, how to get out of caves if need be. Then again, there weren't any operations that involved going into a cave in the first place.

After a moment of deciding, he went left. Following the dirt road to wherever it may lead. The last time he was in a cave was when he was a child. One summer his family decided to spend a weekend at the Cathedral Pines Campground. Him and his older cousin went off the beaten trail to explore, coming to a good size cave entrance. They weren't too far in before they saw two illuminating eyes in the darkness, staring back at them. That was the first and last time Gary ever set foot in a cave.

Yet here he was, stuck in a cave. 20 some odd years later.

The more he followed the trail, the more things caught his attention. The spider-webs perched in the corners of the caves walls. The rats that would scurry away as soon as they saw him. But the random drawings were what really caught his attention. He didn't think much of it at first, thinking they were just from the people who use to live in these lands centuries ago.

It wasn't until he saw a glimpse of a drawing, that he stopped his moving forward. The drawing looked relatively new. His hand brushed over it, seeing if any of the ink would come off. It didn't. The drawing was of a deer - well two deer's. One looked to be the mother, and the other it's doe.

"Hmm." He glanced down, seeing a faded white object under some dirt. Crouching down to pick it up, joints cracking as he did.

Gary gently picked the object up, it looked to be an old diary entry. The words were beginning to fade, but he could read them out for the most part. He sat down against the wall of the cave, using his phone to read it.

 _October 12th, 1878_

 _My time is coming to an end. I can feel it. I grow weaker every day - simple tasks becoming harder and harder to do. I can't leave her to fend for herself, she's only a child. She's not fit for the cruel outside world. I pray God will give her guidance once I'm gone. So she can conquer any obstacle she faces in the coming years. I still remember the day she was born. The blizzard shut us in our cabin for a month, the snow too deep for anyone to come and go. The winters were always the hardest- if you didn't have enough food to last through it, you would starve. If you didn't have enough wood to burn, the cold would slowly be your demise. I was a newlywed back then, my beloved and I moved to this little town for he to have a better job. It was only a few months when I found I was with child. My beloved and I- full of love and happiness. Then the storm came, both of us praying it wouldn't be bad. God didn't answer us. A fortnight later I went into labor. Scared and worried, my beloved help me through. Her cries echoed through the cabin was a beautiful symphony to my ears. When my beloved put her in my arms for the first time- I looked down at her little cherub face. Full of love. My first. My only. I love you with all my heart my little doe. And I will always be with you!_

He held the paper in his hand, standing back up to look at the picture. "Did she draw this?"

A sudden sadness was felt in his heart. The letter- over 100 years old, the women long gone from this earth.

Gary- wondering how she died and what happened to her daughter after she did. There was something about reading someones history that was both enticing and dissuading.

He looked down at the entry again, then to the drawing. Folding the paper up very gently and sliding it into his pocket before moving on.

Gary continued walking- his head still stung and was lightly throbbing. He just wanted to get out and find Simon.

The cave was like a maze, too many twist and turns. Throwing him astray. He stopped- resting against the caves wall as he figured out what to do. Ever since the Shepherd incident- breathing became difficult if he ran, jogged or even walked at a fast paced. Which mean't he needed to take more breaks, which he hated.

The eerie silence was starting to make his skin crawl. He felt like the mouse in some god forsaken maze- running around until he found the cheese.

He looked down at the ground as he tried to catch his breath. The light illuminating what's on his left.

His heart began to beat a little faster- cold sweat beating down his forehead. He caught something in his peripheral vision- something was standing just outside where the lights beam ended. He slowly moved the light in that direction, hoping to catch what is was- or who it was. Next thing he knows, it was gone.

"I think it's time to get moving Gary."

The feeling of being watched- stalked...hunted became more persistent. His heart beating a mile a minute as he walked down each corridor. He hasn't felt this scared since he was shot, thrown in a ditch and set on fire. The flames that engulfed his body- still fresh in his mind, as was the pain.

He couldn't get the feeling of being watched out of him. So he kept moving, hoping to put enough distance between him and whatever it was that was following. If anything was follow him.

Gary walked...and walked. Down corridor after corridor after corridor- with no sight of an exit or another way out. He stopped- anger flooding him, as did worry. He clenched his fists and huffed. Then pain was felt in his right hand.

"Good job Gary punch a rock wall with all your might." He tried flexing it, but a sharp pain went through it every time. "Yup, definitely broken."

He slide down the wall into a sitting position, and sighed. He had no idea if he was going farther and farther into the cave or if he was getting closer to a way out. All he did know was that his hand was broken, his battery was dying and Simon was probably worried sick about him.

He shut the light off on his phone to preserve the battery. Plus, he wasn't gonna move from where he sat anytime soon.

Within minutes his eyes adjusted to his pitch black surroundings, making it a little easier to maneuver if need be. But he didn't want to move, he wanted to let the dark consume him. Or wait until the person or people who brought him here to come back so he could deck them.

Gary sighed and picked up a handful of dirt, letting it disappear through his fingers. He did it a few times until something scraped his fingers.

"What the?" He gently picked up what scratched his hand, another piece of paper.

He moved the paper to his injured hand then turned on his light with the other. He glanced over it, skimming over the wording. It looked relatively new. The ink wasn't faded, neither was the paper. It made him feel a little uneasy.

When his hand started to hurt worse the longer he held the paper- he placed it in his lap to read.

 _Mom and dad are gone. Leaving me to take care of the little one. I know I would take over that responsibility once they left, but not this soon, not when I still have a lot to learn. I just hope I can make them proud. It's just the two of us now._

Gary re-read it a few more time, a hundred different questions mangled his brain. Who was this person? Who was the little one? And what was the person responsibility? Those were some of the questions that he wanted answered. But knew he wouldn't anytime soon.

He folded that one up too, placing it in his pocket with the other one. Then he stood up- joints cracking back into place.

He shut the light off again- seeing if he could walk without it for a bit. Luckily he could, and continued on through this cave full of mysteries.

Gary didn't get far until he felt a presence behind him. His heart quickened it's pace, legs becoming a little wobbly. A few seconds later something hit him in the head- sending him falling to the ground. Then he succumbed to the darkness once more.


	6. Chapter 6

Simon made it back to the gas station just in time to see Megan leaving. He stopped in front of her hunch over trying to catch his breath. She looked over at him with a raised brow, not expecting to see him again.

"Simon? Are you okay?"

She put her car keys back into her purse and walked over to him. When the cold wind ruffled her hair she zipped up her jacket some more. A few seconds later he stood up straight, eyes making contact. His face was beat red from running and the cold, and some of his black hair was gelled to his forehead from sweating.

"I need your help."

"Of course. Why don't you come inside, warm up and tell me what happened." Simon nodded and followed her back inside. They walked behind the counter in through the garage part and to a small office at the end. "I thought you would want a little privacy cause you look really worried."

He sighed and wiped the sweat off his brow as he walked over to the desk and leaned against it. "I am. When I got back to the car my friend wasn't there. I didn't think much of it, that he got out to take a piss. I ended up falling asleep and when I woke up he still wasn't there. Damn numpty probably got lost in the woods."

She groaned and scrubbed a hand down her face. She was looking forward to going home and falling asleep. But she couldn't just deny him help, that wouldn't sit well with her conscience.

"Okay, why don't we head back to my place so I can change and get into more appropriate clothing and supplies, then we'll start from where your car is parked." She pulled the keys put from her purse again, now just waiting on Simon.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

She gave him a small smile, then they both headed for her car.

xXx

It was only a ten minute drive back to her place and Simon marveled at the Victorian style-ish house that sat atop the hill.

"You live here?"

Megan took the keys out of the ignition - putting them back into her purse and turned to him. "Yup. My family lived in this house for centuries. Now it's mine to deal with."

Simon watched her eyes dart back to the house, even from the side he could see the slight sadness in them. And then he heard a deep sigh. "You alone?"

"Yeah, my parents died in a car crash last year. Leaving me to take care of my younger sister."

"I'm sorry."

"Eh, not your fault. Wanna head in before the car gets any colder?"

He nodded and got out of the car.

The wind ruffled both their hair, sending a small shiver down his back. As much as he liked the colder weather he could deal without the freezing wind.

He followed her up the stairs, glancing around the huge porch. He could see a few chairs with a table in it and one of those porch swings. It looked like a nice place to live, and expensive making him wonder why she was working at a gas station.

She unlocked the door, letting Simon in first, then followed behind. Closing the door behind her she placed her purse on the table in the hallway and made her way to the kitchen.

As he followed her he couldn't help but look around. It was more modern inside than he thought and wasn't short of pictures. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of what looked like Megan on the front porch with a little girl who must be her sister.

"You can sit anywhere, I'll be down in a minute after I change into more appropriate clothing."

"Okay."

He sat down on one of the chairs near the counter with a sigh. The worry feeling in the pit of his stomach was rising. Gary was out there….somewhere and he hoped he was fine and just got lost and nothing else.

He tapped his fingers on the marble counter-top methodically as he waited for her. Still feeling bad for bringing her into his own personal issues when he could just go into the woods and find him himself. But it's new terrain, and if he got lost himself there was no doubt they would both die.

The throbbing ache in his chest was getting a little worse, he knew he shouldn't have sprinted but he needed too, he needed to get back to the gas station before she left and he was on his own to find Gary. He gently massaged it, trying to relieve the ache. He didn't need that getting worse.

"Are you alright?" Megan walked into the kitchen and head straight for the fridge where she pulled out two water bottles and set them on the counter.

"It's nothing, just a slight ache."

She sighed and gave him a small smile. The fidgeting of her hands however made Simon a little worried. "I don't want to pry, your business is your business. But if there is something wrong, even a little bit I would like to know. I don't need you falling over on me while we're out there."

His hand that was still massaging his chest fell to his side. He didn't want to tell her, but deep down he knew it would be for the best. "Gary and I were out on an op. Nothing too special just find some intel about the guy we were going after. We got the intel and made our way towards the rendezvous where we met up with one of our superiors. He betrayed us. He shot me in the chest and Gary in the lower abdomen, then poured gasoline on us and threw down his cigar."

He scrubbed a hand down his face and shook his head. His eyes darting down to floor as he hung his head. Not in shame but in remembering what happened that day. And how lucky he was he survived, along with Gary.

Simon jolted up when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to see Megan standing next to him, a small smile gracing her lips. "Jeez, I'm so sorry Simon. I can't even begin to understand what that felt like. And, thank you for telling me."

"It's alright. I'm alive and the bastard who shot me isn't. And you're welcome!"

He gave her a small smile in return as her hand fell from his shoulder. She walked back around the counter and lean against it. "We'll start by where your car is parked and work from there. There's a lot of places he could be and hopefully we'll find him before nightfall."

"I'm following your lead Megan." He pulled the sidearm from the back of his pants and gently set it on the counter. "Just tell me what to shoot if need be."

A small chuckle escaped from her lips as she looked down at the sidearm lying in front of her. She made the 'hold on a minute' sign with her finger and walked away. A few long minutes later she returned and placed a Remington model 870 express pump shotgun on the counter.

"The sidearm will work to scare away deer, mountain lions and wolves if necessary. If we come into contact with a bear, that's a whole other story. We'll take both since I'm limited on ammo."

He scoffed and shook his head as he grabbed the gun from the counter. "You're just full of surprises aren't you Megan?"

"You have no idea." She laughed and took the shotgun off the counter. "Would you like a holster, I have an extra if you want it?"

Simon looked at the gun in his hands, then back to her. Like he was contemplating her words. And it would be easier to have the gun where he could quickly grab it if it came down to it.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Be right back."

Megan left once again, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He set the gun back down on the counter with a sigh. He comb his fingers through his black hair, making it more disheveled then it was.

He still couldn't pinpoint on why he felt the way he does about her. On one hand he felt like he needed to be hesitant with her, and on the other he felt like he could tell her everything. It was a foreign feeling to him and he wasn't sure how to take it. He never really had people in his life where he could outright talk about thing. And here comes this young women changing that. A part of him liked it and the other was terrified of it.

Simon was snapped back to reality when he saw her walk back in - holster in hand.

"Here ya go." She handed him it and he graciously took it.

"Thanks!"

"No problem."

He adjusted it to fit his thigh then clip it on and holstered the gun.

"You ready to find that friend of yours?"

"Yes I am."

She tossed him the other water bottle and they headed out the door.


End file.
